Is that mold on the Ketchup?

Are you using the same ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc, from last summer that have been in your fridge all winter? ConsumerReports says you may be better off tossing the old condiments and buying new for the BBQ season. They cite the following shelf-life values from the Food Safety and Inspection Service for items that have been opened.

Ketchup, cocktail or chili sauce: 6 months;

Chutney: 1 to 2 months;

Horseradish: 3 to 4 months;

Mustard: 12 months;

Pickles and olives: 2 weeks;

Mayonnaise and salad dressing: Up to 2 months;

Barbecue sauce: 4 months;

Worchestershire sauce: 12 months;

Jams and jellies: 6 months.

Two weeks does seem very short for pickles and olives but then again I've seen a moldy pickle in a vat at a grocery store. Ugh!

The Consumerist notes that the FoodKeeper shelf-life values come from "a trade group of grocery retailers and wholesalers" who might be concerned about your safety but are also happy to have you toss out old food and buy more. So these deadlines may not be life or death but just suggestions.

Shelf Life for Food Storage

One question that always comes up with Food Storage is, "how long will the food last?"  That's not an easy question.

The Family Survival Planning web site distinguishes two ways of defining "Shelf Life":

1. The "Best if used by" date for best taste and nutrition

2. A "Life Sustaining" date where the food may not taste wonderful but it will keep you alive.

The life sustaining period is influenced by temperature, moisture, oxygen and light.

* Temperature - the cooler the better, above freezing. Heat destroys food and its nutritional value, while foods stored below freezing will suffer freezer burn. A storage area should never exceed 75°; optimal is 50° to 60°.

* Moisture in food allows bacteria and other microorganisms to grow. Hence many long-term storage foods are freeze-dried or dehydrated.

* Oxygen in stored food also encourages microorganisms.  When my wife & I stored wheat, we added an oxygen absorber packet to each storage bucket. Oxygen is also the enemy of fats and oils causing them to go rancid. Nuts, grains, and other long-term foods contain some natural oils. Whole grains have an outer shell that protects the oil inside and can last 30 years or more, but ground flour exposes the oils and goes rancid in 5 years.

* Light can destroy the color in food and promote microorganisms growth.

Bottom Line

Check out the Long Term Food Shelf Life Chart at FSP. I was surprised to learn that dried apple slices and dried potatoes can last 30 years. Powered milk for 20yrs? Hmm, I'd worry about it going rancid sooner.

Can I Still Eat This?

“I worked in a health food store once. A guy came in and asked me, "If I melt dry ice, can I take a bath without getting wet?” - Stephen Wright (Comedian)

While food storage is an excellent idea, you must also eat the food you store and replenish it on a regular basis. Eventually all food goes bad, some slower than others. Cereals, snack foods, frozen entrees, and dry packaged foods may be marked with a "best if used by date." These products are not at their best quality after this date, but can still be used safely for a short period of time thereafter. Other foods, such as unbaked breads, are marked with an "expiration" or "use by date," which means the product should not be consumed after that date. “Use by” works more like an expiration date, similar to that on medication when taking pills after the date is not recommended.

According to FoodReference.com most canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of purchase if stored at 75° F and below. If the can is not marked date, then use a magic marker to write the purchase month and year on the car. When the can is two years old, don’t panic and toss it out. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! No one recommends keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging or rusted, it is very likely edible (though perhaps not very nutritious).

It’s important to know that all self-life values are approximations. Foods last longest in cool, dry cabinets. Cans stored near or above hot appliances (like your stove) will spoil sooner. Warmth and humidity can drastically shorten the shelf life of foods. A chart at http://survivalacres.com/information/shelflife.html shows that canned bulk food can last 40 years at 37° F but only 1 year if stored at 102° F

Bottom Line

Pay attention to the Use By and Expiration Dates on food. Try to use canned foods within two to three years of purchase. If you don’t know the age of your canned food check out the amazing tables of marketing codes at http://consumerist.com/5120395/cheat-sheet-for-sketchy-food-expiration-codes and www.y2kkitchen.com/html/can_code_decoder.html. These charts explain values like ECCHO, 139C8, 7029WW1827 and 61071 which all equal dates if you know how to read them.

Check out Food Storage Guidelines For Consumers by the Virginia Cooperative Extension for more details on shelf life and good storage practices.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-960/348-960.html

More links for shelf life tables:
http://www.timestriponline.com/shelflife/foodshelflife.htm
http://www.henrycoema.org/forms/Storage-Life-of-Groceries.pdf